WALES have been engulfed in a referee storm ahead of tonight's friendly match with Cyprus (7pm).

Football Association of Wales officials watched in horror last night as Cypriot referee Loizos Trattos booked 12 players and sent off Matthew Crowell, but missed a head-butt on Bristol City's David Cotterill.

Another home ref was designated for the senior match tonight but Cypriot football chiefs have now drafted in an Israeli official at the request of the FAW.

A FAW source told the Echo today: 'The game was farcical to be honest. Cotterill got head butted three yards from the referee, he then gave the free kick to Wales and booked Cotterill.

'Crowell had only been on the pitch for 43 seconds and made a fair challenge and got sent off. You had to be here to witness this comical performance.

'The ref went AWOL and booked about 12 players, it's still not official how many he booked. It really was laughable.

'But on a serious side we cannot afford anything like that for tonight's game. John Toshack is taking this game very seriously as his build up to the start of the 2008 European Championships and a certainly does not what a repeat of last night fiasco.'